Legalization is happening in 2016. How it gets done is the question

Legalization is happening in 2016. How it gets done is the question- not when, and not whether it should or shouldn't be made legal.

Legalized marijuana will be taxed, but as we have learned from Colorado it can not be taxed too high, or the alternative illegal markets will remain attractive to consumers.

The MILegalize plan does not tax medical users. It does have an excise tax for those 21 and over purchasing commercially for personal use. That tax is represented and is designated for roads, schools, and back to the local community that chooses to take advantage of the opportunity.

The MILegalize proposal lifts most of the criminality involved with basic cannabis activity, which will allow law enforcement agencies to focus precious resources and time on actual crimes with real victims. The language is clear, however, that users may not drive under the influence and it is a crime for unauthorized transfers from an adult to a minor. Testing for contaminants and potency for the flower or cannabis products is included, as well.

The comprehensive MILegalize approach also protects and improves existing medical laws. It allows for Michigan farmers to produce hemp, to create a variety of products and foods from it and to sell those products to consumers. Currently, hemp is used in the manufacturing of many products and the "super food" it produces can be found in most Michigan grocery stores. However, the raw material must inexplicably be purchased from other countries.

MILegalize is now a life-line for sensible cannabis policy in Michigan. Legislation and other campaigns are led by rich investors- lawmakers and establishment icons who until recently supported the candidates and policies that aimed to allow for the arrests and incarceration of, otherwise, innocent cannabis users. These outside interests know nothing of the facts concerning cannabis and will certainly implement an antiquated, inefficient and unfair tiered model. The models offered by these disaffected parties are patterned after the way alcohol is controlled and sold, in which costs are unnecessarily driven up and only the wealthy few are rewarded with exclusive distributorships.

If MILegalize fails, the corporate interests will control the market.

MILegalize creates a fair and level playing field in which big money investors are allowed, but not in lieu of an individual, "Mom n Pop" or other small or medium sized business models.

Cannabis does not represent the public health and safety threat that we have been lied to about for generations. Certainly people who use cannabis need to learn about it and determine how best to utilize it and to be responsible, but there is no causal relationship to common myths that have been perpetuated for decades. Science has debunked arguments such as marijuana is a "gateway drug," or that it causes amotivational syndrome, or that THC is addictive or that people lose IQ points if they use cannabis, etc.All have been exposed as unsubstantiated propaganda.

MILegalize, unlike any other approach by the legislature or other ballot groups, considers the true nature of cannabis and what systems for distribution have already been working in Michigan and elsewhere. The facts, and what has already been demonstrably successful in our own state, are the components for this sensible approach.